Touchy Feely Review

Lynn Shelton’s “Touchy Feely” is one of those Mumblecore (a term used to describe micro budget pictures about awkward white people) movies that you just shrug at when done watching it. This doesn’t mean it’s completely bad. Considering all of the major studio comedy slog that comes out on a weekly basis, it is refreshing to see a comedy featuring awkward, average looking people and one that’s not shot in the glamorous sectors of New York or Los Angeles. At the same time however, the characters in “Touchy Feely” are so thinly sketched and the situations they find themselves in feel so trivial and insignificant (this is true of all Mumblecore movies but for some reason the situations feel especially trivial in this film) that it doesn’t leave much of an impression. While watching it you may be mildly entertained but when you’re done it will almost completely evaporate from your mind. I think “Touchy Feely” can be best described as a ninety minute “sigh.”

Shot on location in Seattle, WA— and made in the homemade deadpan/quirky manner, characteristic of all Mumblecore movies—“Touchy Feely” follows the goings on of two siblings (a brother and sister) who suffer from identity crises and need to be emotionally recharged.  The sister Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt) is a masseuse who’s a free spirit and into all of that Zen stuff, typical of any Indie-quirky comedy character. She’s currently seeing a bike shop owner (played by Scoot McNairy) who suggests they move in together, which she agrees to hesitantly. But then, one day she develops a sudden aversion to physical contact with humans. This means she can’t do her job and can’t interact with her fellow.

We never find out why she gets this sudden aversion and quite frankly Shelton doesn’t give us much of a reason to care. Perhaps it’s caused by the proposal for her to move in with her boyfriend (I’ve forgotten the name of McNairy’s character and I can’t find it anywhere online) but he seems decent enough and before he can even figure out what’s going on she runs away from him. So ultimately Abby comes off mopey and shallow and her problem feels so “First world.” Shelton probably wanted it to be ambiguous but her character is so thin that you don’t really care to think that much about it afterwards.

The brother Paul (Josh Pais) is a little more interesting, although he’s still thinly drawn. He lives a mundane, uptight life as a dentist with his daughter Jenny (a surprisingly restrained Ellen Paige). Initially his dentistry (plainly named “Family Dentistry”) is struggling but then, seemingly out of nowhere (much like his sister’s bizarre condition) he acquires a “Magic Touch” and without boring you with more details, his waiting room goes from empty to full. Admittedly I found some mild amusement from this whimsical little tangent but Shelton doesn’t do a whole lot with it and it’s resolved fairly quickly. After that there’s not much else for Paul to do.

However, Jenny is probably the weakest note in the entire picture, despite Paige’s best attempts. We get the impression early on that she’s not entirely happy working and living with her dad, and would like to go to college (she even fills out applications but doesn’t send them in, out of fear that her dad might not be supportive) but she doesn’t appear to have any ambitions or interests. Or at least we don’t see any. Of all the main characters we learn the least about her and so she doesn’t seem to serve much of a purpose.

For ninety minutes “Touchy Feely” proceeds to wander around from one mundane situation to the next, nothing much of interest happening in each one. Until it finally reaches its resolution, which—much like the rest of the movie—is underwhelming. The only major message I took away from the entire picture is that consuming tablets of ecstasy can help you get your life back on track. Like I said before, the movie isn’t all bad, the interactions between the characters feel perfectly natural and are handled without any melodrama. Also the acting overall is solid (especially Pais, whose mannerisms and tone of voice are shockingly normal. He doesn’t appear to be giving a performance) but in the end “Touchy Feely” amounts to very little.

C-

Insidious Chapter 2 Review

James Wan’s horror film “The Conjuring” (which came out earlier this year) is probably the best horror film to come out in recent years. Sure, the story isn’t wholly original. In fact it included just about all of the cliché horror movie elements; the family in the haunted house, the ghost hunters, a possessed person, psychics, creepy dummies, etc. However, Wan handled them in a way that not only felt fresh but also cohesive, everything for the most part made sense. In this regard, his latest “Insidious Chapter 2” (a sequel to his own 2010 film) could be looked at as a minor step back.

The movie picks up where the first one left off, revolving around the Lambert family. Father Josh (Patrick Wilson), mother Renai (Rose Byrne) along with their two young boys and Josh’s mother played by Barbara Hershey. You see, Josh’s oldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) possesses the ability to go out of his body and walk around in a creepy alternate spiritual dimension, an ability that Josh himself had when he was a kid. But if you’re not careful sometimes an evil spirit from that nether world can latch onto you and hold you hostage, while it raises hell in the real world. That’s what happened to Dalton in the first movie and Josh had to go into the spirit world and get him out. He succeeded of course but he also managed to bring something back with him and well, Josh isn’t himself. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it, so let’s just say, spooky things happen.

 In many respects, “Insidious Chapter 2” is an improvement on its predecessor. The screenplay by Leigh Whannell (who wrote the first one and is a frequent collaborator with Wan) is more intricate; the story this time having multiple strands and spanning multiple time periods. In addition the characters and mythology created in the first one are explored at greater depth. The picture is effectively made; Joseph Bishara’s score is eerie and unsettling and like any great horror filmmaker Wan doesn’t rely on empty “gotcha!” scares (you know, when someone suddenly pops out of the closet, or a cat is abruptly thrown at the camera) or an excessive amount of blood and gore. Instead he presents a horrific image, maybe abruptly or maybe not, and through craft he lets the image speak for itself. In other words, he doesn’t try overly hard to scare you (in the first half at least). This is also partly why “The Conjuring” worked so well.

Unfortunately, Wan can’t hold it together and as with the first “Insidious” this one eventually falls apart. When an interdimensional time travel twist is introduced in the third act, “Insidious Chapter 2” becomes too complex for its own good, which in turn causes everything else to not exactly cohere. The climax is just a little too over-the-top and confusing. In addition, the movie walks a dangerous line between comedy and drama. There is intentional humor but then there are number of horror sequences near the end that are unintentionally amusing and cheesy. And sometimes the intentional humor (two bumbling paranormal investigators played by Angus Sampson and Whannell) feels forced. “Insidious Chapter 2” does want to be taken seriously but at times the humor undermines it.

I can’t call “Insidious Chapter 2” a complete failure. It is better than the first one and even though the movie does fall apart it still shows that Wan has talent and could become a great modern horror filmmaker. But at the same time, because “The Conjuring” was so good and did hold together for the duration of its running time, “Insidious Chapter 2” can’t help but feel like a disappointment and a step in the wrong direction.

C+

Riddick Review

The sad thing about “Riddick”—the third film in the sci fi action series that also includes “Pitch Black” from 2000 and “The Chronicles of Riddick” in 2004—is that the first fifteen to twenty minutes set up a much better story than the one that actually follows. Our hero Riddick (Vin Diesel) who, as you will remember from the first two movies, is good at fighting and killing and whose eyes are better suited for the night, wakes up buried beneath a pile of rocks on an unknown desert planet. After a convenient three or four minute narration/flashback combination where we find out that he was double-crossed and left for dead, Riddick makes the long trek across the harsh alien landscape, looking for a way to get back to his home planet.

For these first fifteen to twenty minutes, it’s just Riddick against the elements. He resets his dislocated legs back in their place, he fashions some weapons out of animal bones, he makes friends with a wild canine puppy who eventually becomes his loyal companion, and he even fights a couple nasty scorpion looking alien creatures. If writer-director David Twohy had kept the rest of the film like this, if it had just been Diesel by himself having to survive on this hostile planet and try to find a way home, “Riddick” could have actually been decent. Not great—in fact I wouldn’t consider “Pitch Black” a great movie either—but for being the third film in a franchise that I think everyone has forgotten about by now (“Chronicles” was made in 2004) it could have at least been tolerable.

Sadly, at about the 30-minute mark it’s almost like Twohy just gives up and for the rest of the film’s 119-minute running time. “Riddick” becomes a generic and boring sci- fi actioner involving bounty hunters and predatory aliens that is pretty much a rehash of “Pitch Black.” Two ships touch down on the planet, responding to an emergency beacon Riddick has activated. One ship contains a rag tag group of bounty hunters led by Santana (Jordi Molla) who may as well be wearing a nametag that says “Hi, I’m going to be a total asshole until I get killed off!” The other ship contains a group of clean, neatly dressed people led by Boss Johns (Mat Nable) whose son was with Riddick during the events of “Pitch Black” and wants to locate Riddick to find out what happened to his son.

Basically, what we’ve got here are a total of eleven one-dimensional, stupid tough guys (and the token tough women) just waiting to get killed off, either by Riddick or by those predatory aliens. Johns and Santana are the only ones who have any kind of personality; the rest may as well be slabs of meat. And so the movie just sort of goes through the motions, Riddick stalks and stealth kills a few of the idiots and then eventually they join forces to fight the predatory aliens. The last half hour is a dark, rainy and blurry mess devoid of any kind of originality or creativity and the climax/resolution is so underwhelming that when the end credits began to role I thought to myself: “Is that it?”

Diesel isn’t the most expressive actor out there but he has the right rugged, badass look and if “Riddick” had remained a “One Man Survivalist” movie he would have been perfect. Aside from the superfluous narration he barely says anything and usually the less he says the better. But of course, since those other one-dimensional idiots show up we’re subjected to Diesel’s, painfully slow, deep voiced (with a hint of gravel) dialogue deliveries. No matter what movie, he always sounds like he’s just woken up from a nap and is still groggy.

It’s too bad. “Riddick” had potential. Twohy had a chance to make something at least somewhat different and unexpected (in terms of Vin Diesel action movie, that is) but he simply throws it away, deciding to take no risks and offering no surprises whatsoever. Leaving us with yet another forgettable and pointless sequel.

 D+

Short Term 12

In “Short Term 12,” Grace (Brie Larson) appears to have everything under control in her job as a floor supervisor at a foster care facility. At the beginning when she’s showing the new floor supervisor Nate (Rami Malek) the ropes she speaks like a seasoned veteran who’s seen it all. When one of the foster kids makes a mad dash for the facility gates, screaming at the top of his lungs and wearing nothing but an American flag for a cape and underwear Grace, along with the other floor supervisors, springs into action and the event is treated as business as usual. The day-to-day life at the foster care facility (known as Short Term 12) is a series of up and down moments; one minute it will be calm and fun, the next a fight will break out, or someone will have a meltdown. Writer-director Destin Cretton establishes this day-to-day bustle of the foster care facility in an intimate and natural way and even though the movie specifically focuses on two of the foster kids, we get a taste of all the kids and how they interact with each another.

Like any other professional in a high stress job, Grace knows exactly how to deal with the kids. On the one hand she’s firm and authoritative when enforcing the ground rules (no sharp objects, drugs, etc.) or diffusing one of those serious, high stress moments (such as when one of the kids hits another with a bat). On the other hand she’s also extremely caring and sensitive. Only in her early twenties, Grace is not much older than a lot of the foster kids, so she can still approach them at eye level. She knows when to give the children their space, as well as when to go and talk to them. And when she does talk to them it’s done in a casual, non-oppressive way, often times just sitting on their bed with them, waiting for the right moment to begin the conversation. This is more than just a job for Grace, it’s a lifestyle. She’s patient, determined and above all passionate, ready to defend and help these kids until the very end.

Of course, the reason why Grace is so good at her job is because she herself was a victim of child abuse by her father and was foster child. This means that, while she may be able to handle the lives of children at Short Term 12 with ease, she doesn’t quite know how to handle her own life. At the beginning when she finds out she’s pregnant she immediately makes an appointment to get an abortion; she deals with multiple needy children on a daily basis but isn’t confident enough in herself to be a mother. She tells the foster children to open up and talk about their feelings, but she herself hardly ever opens up and talks about her own troubles, even to her boyfriend and fellow Short Term 12 floor supervisor Mason (John Gallagher Jr.).

Larson does a lot of fantastic body acting to convey these insecurities and weaknesses, hunching over or tucking herself into a ball, literally closing herself in, or picking at her finger when she’s especially anxious. Working at Short Term 12 serves as an escape for her; she can relate to what the kids are going through but it keeps her busy enough so she doesn’t have to think about her own damaged life. At only twenty three, Larson gives one of the most genuine, multilayered performances of the year and hopefully (much like Shailene Woodley in “The Spectacular Now” earlier this year) this will be the performance that puts her on everyone’s radar. She’s the center of “Short Term 12.”

It also helps that the rest of the movie is pretty great too. The story and the subject matter aren’t wholly original and the movie doesn’t sound that interesting on paper, but it’s handled in a very straightforward and non-manipulative way. The picture isn’t overly sentimental but it also isn’t a complete downer either. Cretton’s script seamlessly blends both drama and comedy. Even in the most dramatic or intense situations he’s able to find humor, and vice versa. Some people might be put off by the film’s sudden ups and downs, but life itself is full of sudden ups and downs.

And again, Cretton isn’t trying overly hard to make you feel sad or happy, using manipulative filmmaking techniques like an overwhelming score. “Short Term 12” is done without any melodrama and its main focus is developing its characters, making them as authentic as possible so as to make those up and down situations believable. Cretton also manages to end the film on a bittersweet, “life will go on” note. He gives us a feeling of hope but at the same time not everything is resolved smoothly. There will be just as many down moments in these characters’ lives as there are happy ones. Just like in real life. Aside from the sheer level of authenticity and realism that Cretton achieves, the main reason to seek out “Short Term 12” is Larson. Without her powerful, understated performance the film wouldn’t have been nearly as good.

 A-

Getaway Review

“Getaway” is complete and utter madness from start to finish, and the worst part about it is that director Courtney Solomon insists we take it seriously. The tone is dark and gritty and the picture is shot (by Yaron Levy) in a raw, hand held style but the action is over-the-top and cartoonish. It’s as if Solomon is saying: “here are these completely ludicrous and stupid action scenarios, but we’re presenting them in a realistic, hardboiled manner so you have to take it seriously.” He wants to have it both ways, but unfortunately these are two totally different styles that, when mixed together, undermine each other. If you want to make an unrealistic and silly action movie then fine, but it also has to be self aware and playful, much like the “Fast and the Furious” movies are. And if you want the movie to be gritty and serious then you have to construct the action within a logical framework. The only fun that can be had while watching “Getaway” is from unintentional hilarity, though I wouldn’t call that much of a recommendation.

The movie gets going right away. Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke, doing the best he can in a poorly written role) comes home to find that his living room has been trashed and his wife missing. In overly dramatic black and white flashbacks--that resemble the cheaply produced “dramatic reenactments” one would see in a show like “America’s Most Wanted”-- we find out that his wife has been kidnapped by thugs and is being held hostage in some grimy rape dungeon. Brent gets a call from an unknown person, instructing him to go to a parking garage, steal an armored sports car (he calls it a “ very special car”) that’s been outfitted with video and audio surveillance and carry out a series of car related tasks or else Brent’s wife will be killed. Along the way he encounters the car’s actual owner, a pesky seventeen-year-old girl (Selena Gomez) who accompanies him on the ride.

 The unknown man is played by Jon Voight—oh wait! I mean John Voight’s mouth, neck, hands and occasional eye. You see, he’s a mysterious guy and we’re not supposed to know his identity. But then, why bother showing us his other body parts? And why bother showing us that he’s in some crowded café with a laptop, tracking and monitoring Brent’s actions? In the credits he’s simply called “The Voice,” wouldn’t it be more mysterious to just let us hear his voice? At the end we do finally get to see all of him, although it doesn’t really matter because we still don’t find out who exactly he is, and yet Solomon treats it as a major revelation.

Anyway, where was I? So Jon Voight wants Brent to do a bunch of tasks, what are these tasks you ask? Well, first he tells him to drive recklessly through a crowded park, crashing into objects like a water tank and a stage. Then he tells Brent to lose the cops in four minutes for some reason. In short, he’s supposed to cause as much mindless destruction as he possibly can while in a car. Real clever tasks you’re having him do, Voight, what are you, a thirteen-year-old delinquent? I lost count of how many police cars are smashed, flipped and tossed into the air. And at one point Brent is driving on a train track while being pursued by even more cops and through some fancy maneuvering he makes one of the cars smash into a fuel tank that explodes, causing a chain reaction of fuel tank explosions all along the track. Seriously, did Solomon and screenwriters Sean Finegan and Gregg Maxwell Parker really expect us to take this nonsense seriously, just because there’s a woman in peril? And believe me there’s even more stupidity that follows.

By now I should mention that Brent used to be a race car driver who has since burned out because he believed everyone who said he was good, when he actually wasn’t. Clearly that’s a load of b.s. Brent is not only a good driver but he is seemingly the best driver ever, navigating the narrow city streets with ease and shaking the cops at every turn. Although driving appears to be the only thing he can do, as he’s a complete moron when it comes to everything else. This is where the girl comes in; she knows a lot about technology (at one point, in an homage to “Speed” she hacks into Jon Voight’s command center and puts a video of them doing nothing on a continuous loop to buy them some time) and she pretty much sounds out every development in the plot to both Brent and the audience.

She’s the brainy (as well as the tough angst-y teenage girl) sidekick obviously, but she’s also a rich spoiled brat who doesn’t shut her mouth once during the entire movie. While Brent is doing his glorified joyriding she tells him to slow down…but then she tells him to go faster. One minute she’s telling him that he’s a horrible driver, the next minute she’s calling his driving “awesome.” She has a different verbal reaction or response to everything he does. Her character is all over the place. Whatever promise Gomez showed as an actor in “Spring Breakers” earlier this year is basically thrown out the window with this annoying, overacting performance. She’s almost unbearable.

After the setup and after Brent and the girl (known as The Kid in the credits) embark on their wild ride, “Getaway” becomes one gloomy, chaotic and exhausting chase sequence after another. And these chase sequences have to be some of the worst, most muddled car chase scenes I’ve ever had the displeasure of seeing. Editor Ryan Dufrene must have been on a sugar high when he cut together the movie. It’s constantly cutting back and forth, showing us every angle and view of the car along with a few abrupt close ups of Brent’s face or his foot as it pushes down on the acceleration. It’s irritating for sure, but also disorienting, especially with the use of the handheld camera. Sitting in the theater I thought I was going to have a seizure. The audience has no idea where the car is in relation to Brent, The Kid or the environment and to see this over and over again is agonizing.

Even worse, when that madness isn’t happening we’re subjected to excruciatingly painful dialogue exchanges between Brent and The Kid. I guess it’s what Finegan and Parker think is banter. In one towards the beginning, the phrase “shut up” is uttered about seven or eight times between the two:

“You shut up!”

“No, you shut up!”

“Hey! Shut the hell up!”

 And so on. This is the kind of exchange you would see in a bad comedy, but the fact that it’s in a super serious action/thriller is even more dreadful.

The movie is only ninety minutes but it feels like two hours. It keeps going on and on and on, until finally it reaches its conclusion. Without giving too much away (even though there’s not much to give away in the first place) Solomon and Co basically tell us that all of the madness and stupidity that came before was, ultimately, for nothing, making an already terrible movie even more terrible and worthless.

 F